Anchored in Communication: How I use the Seesaw App to Communicate with First Grade Families
Calling all Teachers! Have you ever wished you could capture a fun moment during the day or really great student work? I have just the app for you. Sheninger (2019) encourages educators to start a blog to give parents a window into the classroom. If you are an educator wanting to get families more involved in classroom learning, keep reading.
In a pre-service teacher course, I learned about an app called Seesaw that was specifically made for classrooms. I describe this app as a classroom social media app (or blog) where students and families are exclusive members. Below are a few of my favorite features:
Videos
Students (and teachers) can post videos on a variety of topics. My favorite way to use this feature with students is to have them record themselves reading their finished piece of writing at the end of a unit. In the example linked below, I recorded a series of videos, sharing math strategies the students were using in our addition unit. At the time, parents gave feedback wanting parent support on our addition strategies. This particular post was in response to that feedback.
Recordings
Students can record themselves on a post. I like to use this feature when students are working on a phonics or reading activity. I have also used this feature to have students explain how they would solve a math problem.
Post drawings
I will admit that my students have not used this feature to its full potential. Seesaw offers a number of different drawing tools in a range of colors. Students can also add shapes and lines to their work. In the example below, I went out of my comfort zone and gave students full use of the drawing features. Students were prompted to create an image out of a half circle.
Complete assignments
I am a fan of all the activity resources Seesaw has to offer. Seesaw offers countless resources for a variety of topics and academic areas. You can create your own activity, or use an activity made from someone in your district or Seesaw community. I love using Seesaw activities when I am conducting small groups.
Comment
Seesaw also allows users to like and comment on student work. Remember: only students and families approved by the teacher can see posts. I like using this feature to provide feedback on student work. In the past I've allowed my students to use the comment feature to provide feedback on their classmate's work. I love that Seesaw offers a recording feature if typing is a challenge. I used the recording feature for student commenting quite a bit when I taught kindergarten. My district recently created limitations for Seesaw student viewing and commenting, so check with your district to see what Seesaw features are permitted. In the video below, I recorded a video of my students describing the taste of Vegemite after trying it for the first time. I appreciated that Seesaw allowed me to share this moment with families and read their reactions.
Remember 2020?
When I said goodbye to my kindergarten students in March of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, my team banded together and created an online classroom with Seesaw as the primary platform. Our students were already familiar with the platform, so it made it easy to assign activities for home. We were able view to assignment submissions quickly and provide student-friendly feedback if needed. According to Preston (2021), when used appropriately, teachers can use Seesaw as a tool to present distance learning experiences that resemble what they might do in the classroom.
Student Portfolios
When I grow up, I want to be a teacher that has curated student digital portfolios. Seesaw allows users to create folders to organize student content. I envision this tool being used during student-led conferences where students can speak to their learning and academic goals. According to Payne (2021) "E-portfolios can be an effective student artifact of student learning "when careful consideration is given to goal setting, intentionality, task analysis, plan implementation, and self-evaluation" (p.7).
Give it a Try
If you are an educator, use this post as your motivation to give it a try. Teachers often find success when they use technology to support interactive learning (Sheninger, 2019). Not a general education teacher? No problem! My school's administration and specials (art, music, Spanish) teachers use Seesaw often to give families a glimpse into our school environment.
References
Payne, S. (2021). Using an e-portfolio system to evaluate student learning outcomes and to foster more self-direction within the curricula. International Journal of Self-Directed Learning, 18(1), 1–9. https://doi-org.ezproxy.montevallo.edu/https://www.sdlglobal.com/journals
Preston, C. (2021). Try this: Water wonder -- online learning. Teaching Science, 67(4), 7–14. https://doi-org.ezproxy.montevallo.edu/https://asta.edu.au/resources/teaching-science-journal/
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Sage Publications.
I am impressed with how you have utilized the Seesaw application to expand your classroom beyond the walls of your school and engage parents. It sounds like you are capitalizing on this tool to communicate important information and maintain transparency with what students are doing in your classroom, just like Sheninger (2019) encourages us to do. I also like how you plan to use Seesaw to create digital portfolios. Fantozzi (2023) found that digital portfolios facilitate bidirectional communication between teachers and families, allowing for the exchange of information and ideas that support children’s education. They create a shared knowledge base between teachers and families, enabling more informed and empowered discussions. Fantozzi also found that digital portfolios effectively document children’s learning and growth and support them in recalling and reflecting on their experiences. It is never too early to develop that habit of reflection.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Fantozzi, V. B. (2023). Connecting in Context: Using Digital Portfolios to Foster Reciprocal Relationships with Families. Young Children, 78(4), 30-37.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Corwin; International Center for Leadership in Education.
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ReplyDeleteI have never used Seesaw although I have heard a lot of great things about it. After reading your post, I would love to give it a try! It seems that this tool offers a fantastic way to maintain communication and practice transparency with parents. This will in turn help you to build relationships and trust with your students’ parents as Sheninger (2019) mentions. I feel as if with all of the responsibilities added to educators’ plates, communication with parents often gets overlooked. However the importance of this should not be. Poth (2023) state “Open communication through a partnership with families also helps both educators and families understand their students better”. I couldn’t agree more.
ReplyDeletePoth, R. D. (2023, August 7). Fostering the home-to-school partnership. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/teacher-parent-communication-can-help-support-students
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Corwin; International Center for Leadership in Education.
As both a parent and a teacher, I think it is great to have a way to share with parents what is going on in your classroom. It is so much fun to see what your child has been a part of during the day; especially for parents whose child does not share all of the details of his or her day. Sheninger (2019) encourages educators to start using an online format to communicate what happens during the school day to parents.
ReplyDeleteI also love when teachers use student portfolios. We have started having our seniors work on what we call their "Capstone Project" which is a senior portfolio that will hopefully be something they can continue adding to throughout college as the prepare to look for jobs. Payne (2021), talks about the benefit of e-portfolios and the self reflection process that comes along with that. Teaching students to self reflect is huge!
Payne, S. (2021). Using an e-portfolio system to evaluate student learning outcomes and to foster more self-direction within the curricula. International Journal of Self-Directed Learning, 18(1), 1–9. https://doi-org.ezproxy.montevallo.edu/https://www.sdlglobal.com/journals
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Corwin
Hi Tanisha!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading how you use SeeSaw in your classroom now and how you have used it in the past. According to Sheninger, this is a multifaceted communication tool. (Sheninger, 2021). As you stated in your blog, SeeSaw has multiple components that are able to keep parents/guardians and stakeholders informed. I am wondering if you have ever looked at a similar tool called Bloomz. I used it very similarly to how you have used SeeSaw, but did not use the portfolio component in it. There are many tools that we can use when communicating with parents, but it is important to consider WHAT we are communicating to stakeholders, not just the amount of information.
According to an article titled, Effective Communication in Schools, there are three main components of effective school communication. These components are trust, transparency, and active listening (Salamondra, 2021). I believe that, with SeeSaw, you were able to establish trustworthy and transparent communication with your students' parents.
Salamondra, T. (2021). Effective Communication in Schools. BU Journal of Graduate Studies in Education, 13(1), 22–26.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Corwin